Bottle-soaking machine.



S. VOLZ. BOTTLE SOAKING MACHINE. AI PLIOATION I'I-LED JAN. 29,1903.

Patented Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

' To all whom t't 'may concern:

UNITED simrils 'rn ENToF-nrcn --s1MoN VOLZ, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,AssIGNoR on ONE-HALF fro; HEN Y e J SCARBOROUGH, OF cnroae itnmorsano'rrm-soax'me'maenmnl Specification of IlhetterePat e nit s; 1 Patented April Application filed'nnuarjaa 190a. SerialNo, 141,025.

Be it known that I, SIMON VoLz, residing at Milwaukee, Milwaukeecounty,"Wiscon- 'sin, have invented certain new andeuseful Improvementsin Bottle- Soaking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to that general classof machines illustrated in myformer patent No. 736037,'dated"August 11, 1903, andthe lu 'objectthereof is to provide a machine of this character whose endlessbottle'conveyer is given increased length of travel in the washing orsolution tank, and a further object is to dividethe' tankinto twocompartments,'both to be filled With'water or the same solution, or'onewith the solution'and the other with water;'the conveyer firsttraversing one compartment. andthen the other."

In the drawings,jF igure"l' is a sectional elevatlon of my preferred'forr'n of machlne;

Fig.2 a similar VIBWOf a'modified-fforin,.and

3 and 4 detail viewsofa bottle raok.

Referring first -to the 'machine of Fig. 1,

the tank 1 is of, suitable shape and'dimen sions and, by reference, isan ported by thebeams 2 re$t ngf uponthe oundations 3,

although theparticularmanner ofsup ort is entirely immaterial. vflhetank is divided by a vertical' p'artitionlintotwo compartments'5and-fiypreferably equal. Uponor adjacent the upper end of the. tank is.-arranged 'a suitab mounted some of the rollin "supports; 01', sprocketwheels for the end ess 'conjve er and in which is also mountedthemechanism for driving them.

As in my said'prior patent the bottle cone" veyer 8 has a series ofbottle racks "8 in which the bottles are inserted and carried" throughthe tank and around suitable rolling supports. In the present instance,1 arrange a rolling support or, wheel 9 at. one side of the tank abovethe wall thereof'and a similar rolling support or wheel 10 on the otherside, the latter wheel being driven as shown in my prior. applicationworm 11','itself driven; by pulley-'12.

themselves, are arrangedrolling smpports' or Above the: a'rtition4and asuitablefdis tance above t e tank or line ofliquidther'einto Permitof'ti eifo'r the bottles t wheels 13, over which the end ssconveyer'runs. Near the lower ends of the compart e frame work 7 in whicharethatis, by the veyer,which receives the bottles'either at r nents5a'nd'6 are journaled additional mu 111g supports-or, wheels 14'a'nd15'. The conthe lower floor near the base of the'tank at the right handside; (Fig. 1') or at *an up'per i floor, represented at 16,passeseov'er the Wheels19, downwardly into the first oompartment 5,under. wheels 14, around the ,wheels 13, thencedownwardly into the sec--'ond compartment 6, under wheels 15, and

over wheels-1'0, rat whichpoint the bottles are automatically. deliveredto, a"rinsing tank 17, 01' other desirable place. The conveyer then runsaround the tank in the same 7 manner as described in my prior.application.

'In-order to keep the bottles'from falling out of their racks while on 7the descending stretchfin, the tank, I arrange in'ea'ch 'compartment aguideor grating 18 against which the bottom ofthe bottles abut andsli'deand "be thereby confined in their racks. With the same object,"'a'curved guide 19" is arranged adjacentjthe wheels 10 near:thedelivery. point, sothat thejb'ottles are kept withlnthe racks untilthey have PaSsed'bef yon'd the'lower end of the guide, whereupon theyare fre'eto dro out and upon the inclined deliveryboar 20, by whichthey, are COIldflOtBd to the rinsing tank. To enable sediment,washed-01f labels, etc., to be re.-' "moved, each compartment of thetan-k is provided with a suitable hand-hole 21;

In describing one com lete cycle of 0 eration, it {will be assumed't, ata'bottlef'rac on Fthezmovable oonveyer has ust been filled or loadedwith bottles jat'thelower fioor'onthe frightf hand 'side'of the tank.The rack is carried: upwardly by the conveyer and over and around thewheels 9. When the rack hasreached the liquid in compartment 5, the

'bottomofthe bottles will press against the right hand side or surfaceof the guide 18, and

the neck and mouth ofthe bottles will be directed obliquel upward, withthe result that the bottles wi be. filled with the liquid as theydescend The rack is carried down- ,wardly, through substantially" theentire h g t 0. nethibf $1. 8 nk, a flndi the wheels leper-11d than,upwar'dlyso that' the {length of'the' tank is'againftraversed; When therack approaches the centralu 1 er wheels 13, it [isflsoinclinedas that te I ottles have their; necks directed downwardlywith the result thatthe'hottles are emptied of their contents before beingvcar- 'ried aroundthe wheels 13. In order to conduct all drain from the bottles at thispoint to the compartment, a drain plate 22 is provided. The racknowbegins its downwardtraverse in the compartment 6, the bottles itdelivered to the rinsing tank.

As hereinbefore suggested, the two compartments of the tank may besupplied with the same kind of liquid, or soaking solution, or' twodiiierent kinds of liquid, as for instance, 'a soaking solution incompartment 5 and water in the other compartment. Or

the compartments may contain the same kind of soakin solution, such assoda solution, but of ifierent strength. The first compartment isutilized to do the major portion of the cleansing while the secondcompartment is utilized to finish the Work, inasmuch as the contents ofthe latter compartment remain purer and cleaner for a greater length oftime than the first compartment. Obviously, the contents of this firstcom artment may, if desired, be renewed wit out necessarily renewing thecontents of the sec 0nd compartment.

The machine of Fig. 2 ofthe drawings is similar in construction to thatalready described with the exception that it is un ro-' vided with thepartition 4, so that, whi c it fails to secure the advantage resultingin having two separate bodies. of liquld in the tank, yet it'secures theadvantage of the extended length of traverse of the endless conveyer andbottles through the tank.

The bottle racks which I perfer to use are illustrated in the detailviews. Each rack,

, which is preferably formed of sheet metal,

projects on both sides, of the chains.

comprises a top plate 24 and bottom plate 25, separated by a series ofupright and parallel partitions26, which form the desired numcr ofbottle compartments. Each rack is attached at its ends to the chains insuch manner that it is positioned obliquely, and As illustrated, theinner ends of the partitions 26 are beveled or inclined as to their topand bottom edges, so that the compartments partake'of a general formcorresponding to that of the bottles. Theinner ends of the racks have aseries of wires 27 which form an open abutment or. grating for the topsof'the bottles. I ln order toprevent cracking or chippin of thebottles,these wires are covered with rubber or the like. As a convenient methodof assembling the several parts of the rack, the partitions 26 thereofhave a series of proiections or tongues 28 which extend througi the. topand bottom plates.

In its preferred form, the tank is provided near thebottom with asuitable screen or rating 29, which is arranged at about the evel orslightly below the level of the hand hole but above the valve governedoutlet 30.

The purpose of this screen is to separate or strain the labels, washedoil of the bottles and permit of their convenient remova throughthe handhole. The form of tank havin the double compartment is of course provied with separate screens and separate outlets, as well as separate handholes as already described.

A bottle soaking machine made in accordance with my invention is simplein construction and operation, and affords the greatest support or wheelarranged intermediate said two supports, two rotatable sufpports orwheels arranged in the lower end 0 the tank,

and an endless conveyer having a series of bottle holders or receptaclesarranged to receive and carry the bottles and to discharge the same atthe proper point by gravity, said conveyer being arranged to travelthrough the tank in substantially vertical reaches and also to travel onopposite sides of the tank and around the bottom of thetank in the openair, said tank having vertical guides cooperating with the conveyer toprevent the falling out of the bottles in the descending reaches of theconveyer.

2. A bottle soaking machine comprising a vertically arranged tankdivided by a vertical partition into twov separate com artments, tworotatable supports or whee s arranged above the two opposite sides ofthe, tank, a third rotatable support or wheel ar-' ranged intermediatesaid two su ports and above said partition,-two rotatab e supports orwheels arranged one in the lower end of each compartment, and an endlessconveyer having a series of bottle holders or receptacles arranged toreceive and carry the bottles and to automatically discharge the same bygravity after they have passed through the tank, said conveyer-beingarranged to travel upon said rotatable supports to carry the bottlessuccessively through both compartments of the tank in substantiallyvertical reaches, said tank beingprovided with a vertical guide in eachcompartment 006 crating with the conveyer to prevent the talling out ofthe bottles in the descending reaches of the conveyer.

. upon said rotatable supports to carry the 3. A bottle soaking machinecomprising a tank divided .by vertical partitions into separatecompartments, two rotatable supports or Wheels arran ed aboveth'e-twoopposite sides of the tan c, a rotatable Wheel or support above eachpartition, a series of rotatable sup orts or Wheels arranged one in thelower end of each compartment, and amendless conveyor having aseries ofbottle holders or receptacles arranged to receive and carry the bottlesand to automatically discharge the same after they have passed throughthe tank, said conveyer' being arranged to travel bottles successivelythrou h all the compartments'of the tank in so stantiall verticalreaches, said tank being provide] tvith a I V vertical guide in eachcompartment cooperating with'the conveyerv to prevent the alling out ofthe bottles in the descending reaches of the conveyer.

, 4. A bottle soaking machine comprisin a vertically arranged tankdivided vertica y into separate comdpartments, andan endless wrthaseries of open ended.

conveyer provide bottle holders or racks ada ted to receive'an carry thebottles with their bottom ends'to'a, ward the open ends of the holderssuccessively into and outrof said'compartments in substantiallyverticaljreaches and to autos! matically-discha'rge the-bottles bygravity, I after they have passed outfof the. last corn v partment, saidbottle holders or racks being arranged upon the conveyer at such an in--clination from the horizontalas to hold-their 0 en ends upwardly andretain the. bottlest erein bygravity in the upward reaches of theirtravel through the machine, and vertii 5. Abottle soakingmachine'comprising a' tank, an endless-conveyer-traveling therein and a seriesof bottle'racks -7.-'A bottle soaking machine comprisin a .tank, anendless conveyer tr veling therem, e5

cal guides or guards adjacent the path of the open ends of the bottleholders for preventing the bottles from dropping out of said bottleholders in the descendm'g reaches of the conveyer.

rack consisting of a top'and a a bottom plate convergingly disposed attheir mner ends, a series ofwires covered-,with" cushioning material'atsuch inner ends for reventing the projecting of. the bottles so herefrom, nd a series of partitions connected with said plates and forming'a-seri'es of bottle compartments. f

andga series of bottle rack s ttached to the conveyer, each rackconsisting, of a top and a bottom plate, a series of upright. partitionsforming ottle-receiving compartments,' and a series 0f rubber, coveredwires arranged transye'rselyof the inner ends of'therack- "2 witnessesz'G. B.,HOFFMANN,V;

a sitter; vonz

